Life Lessons
by hmweasley
Summary: They may be the children of the Mockingjay, but Dani and Nickel Mellark still have a lot to learn about life. Written for the Hunger Games 100 theme challenge.
1. Love

**Author's Note: I've been working on this story since January of this year, so I'm very excited to finally be posting it! As it says in the summary, this was written for the Hunger Games 100 theme challenge. Each "chapter" is a different theme, and that theme will be the chapter title. This first one is love. This isn't really a chaptered story. It's more a set of one-shots, but they are chronological and they each focus on Katniss and Peeta's children. I hope you enjoy it!**

"Mom, can I talk to you?"

Katniss looked up at the sound of her ten-year-old daughter's voice. "Sure, Dandelion," she smiled. "Come here." She patted a spot on the couch beside her that Dani promptly filled. "What did you want to talk about?" Katniss asked as she watched Dani wring her hands in nervousness.

"Oh, it's nothing important really," Dani glanced around the room as she spoke. She didn't seem to want to look at Katniss.

"Then why do you seem so nervous?"

Dani sighed, "I was just wondering..." She cut herself off as if she was unsure whether or not to continue. Katniss sat patiently, not trying to pry it out of her. "How will I know when I'm in love?"

Katniss was a little shocked. It definitely wasn't something she'd been expecting her daughter to ask quite so soon. After a moment or two she finally answered, "Well, to be honest I really don't know what to tell you. I wasn't the brightest when it came to realizing when I'd fallen in love."

"Really?" Dani asked in curiousness. She'd never really heard the story of how her parents had gotten together. She did know about the games and some of the details. For instance, she knew that her father had announced his love for her mother to all of Panem before their games, but that was about it. Katniss and Peeta had never felt it necessary to tell their children about the lying that had taken place, although Haymitch had almost let it slip a few times. Most of Dani's knowledge about the 74th Annual Hunger Games had come from lessons in school.

Katniss chuckled to herself, "Absolutely not." After a few moments, it because clear that Katniss wasn't planning to continue.

"Mom! You can't just tell me that and then not explain!"

Katniss looked conflicted. She'd never thought about having this conversation with her daughter and wasn't sure what she should or shouldn't say. Finally, she said, "It's a long story."

"So?" Dani asked, "I have time." She pulled her feet up onto the couch and made herself comfortable.

"Okay," Katniss sighed as she leaned back into the cushions. "But you're getting the short version. I'll tell you more later."

"Just tell me!" Dani exclaimed in exasperation.

Katniss hesitated slightly before beginning. "Do you remember learning about how the tributes were interviewed before the Games?" Dani nodded slightly, becoming fully engrossed in her mother's words. "Well, the female tribute of the district always went before the male. When your father had his interview right after mine, he revealed that he was in love with me. I was shocked at first, but I assumed it was only a publicity stunt to get more sponsors. It took me a while to realize that it had all been true."

Dani gasped in shock, "But how could you not have believed him? It's obvious how much Dad loves you. At least, it is now. I can't imagine Dad not being madly in love with you."

Katniss smiled down at her daughter, "I know, but at the time I was determined that I was never going to get married or have kids. I wasn't expecting something like that. I was just focused on getting out of those games alive. Someone falling in love with me was the last thing I expected. I was blinded, I guess. I just figured Peeta was a very good actor."

Dani mulled over the new information as her mother paused. She never would have believed any of this. Her parents had always been one unit to her. They were inseparable in her mind. She could barely imagine them not being together.

"Are you surprised?" Katniss asked with a small smile on her face.

"Well, yeah," Dani admitted.

"It gets worse," Katniss sighed.

Dani had no idea what that meant, but it just made her even more eager for her mother to continue.

"You know that Gale and I were best friends when we were younger?" Dani nodded. She'd known Gale her whole life. He lived in District 2 but came to District 12 with his wife Johanna and their children regularly. He mainly came to visit his mom and siblings, but he and Johanna also managed to visit her family at least once while in District 12. Her parents had told her that he was her mother's old best friend, but she hadn't really believed it at first. While they were friends, Gale and her mother (and father for that matter) had always been kind of closed off around each other. Katniss had always seemed closer to Johanna than Gale. Their past had always been a mystery to Dani.

As Katniss continued, she seemed to avoid looking Dani in the eyes. "After the Games, I discovered that Gale loved me too." Dani's eyes widened in shock. She'd never considered that. It just seemed so impossible to think of her mom with anyone but her dad, and Gale and Johanna seemed happy together. She'd always figured they'd had a huge fight or something but nothing romantic. "I became confused," Katniss continued, "I didn't know what to do. I think deep down I always knew that I loved you father more, but Gale had been my best friend since I was fourteen. Gale was my past, and I wanted that past more than ever after the games."

"How did you end up with dad then?" Dani questioned.

"There's no clear cut answer to that," Katniss finally met her eyes. "I don't think there ever are good answers to those types of questions. I'm not even sure what the exact moment was that I finally admitted to myself that I loved Peeta. Maybe it happened slowly over time. Maybe it was in one moment, and I hid it from myself. I don't know." Katniss was smiling at Dani now. "Do you care if I ask, why the sudden interest in love?"

Dani felt a blush creep across her face. "There's this boy..." she muttered quietly.

Katniss smile widened. "Really?"

Dani just nodded, her eyes on the floor. "He's really nice, but I don't know if it's just a crush or something more."

"You're only ten, Dandelion. You have plenty of time to figure it out," Katniss assured her daughter. "Trust me. At some point, you'll just know." After a moment of thought, she added, "Hopefully, it's easier for you than it was for me. At least you're not trying to figure it out while fighting for your life and the future of your country." She actually chuckled at the thought, something that surprised Dani slightly.

"You and dad make it seem so easy," Dani laid her head on her mom's shoulder.

Katniss smirked a little, "After everything I just told you, you're honestly saying that?"

"Yes, I am," she closed her eyes as she spoke. "Anyone with eyes can see how in love you guys are. I want that."

Katniss kissed the top of Dani's head. "You have plenty of time. Don't worry about it."

"I guess you're right," Dani agreed as she felt her mom wrapping her arms around her.

Someday she'd find someone who would love her as much as her mom and dad loved each other, but for the moment, she was content. Her mom and dad's love (maybe even her brother's annoying as he was) was worth way more than a guy anyway.


	2. Light

**Author's Note: I'd planned on getting this up yesterday, but I ended up being out with my friend Ji for longer than I expected. I wasn't sure if I was going to have time to get it up today either, but luckily, I've managed to get it up! The theme for this one is light. I hope you enjoy it!**

"Why are we out here so early?"

Peeta chuckled at his daughter's questioning as he watched her rub the sleep out of her eyes. "If we're going to paint the sunrise, we have to be up to see it."

Dani turned from the easel she was setting up to look at her mother who was currently lounging on the steps of their back porch. "And why are you up?" She couldn't understand why Katniss would willingly leave the comfort of her bed at such an early hour.

Katniss smiled sleepily at her daughter. "Couldn't sleep," she said without elaborating. Her and Peeta shared a look. Dani still didn't understand why her mom would wake up so early just to watch her and her father paint, but she knew that no amount of questioning would get her an answer.

"Whatever," she sighed as she began setting up her paints.

Dani and Peeta painted in companionable silence for a few hours as Katniss quietly watched on. Dani tried her hardest to make the sunrise look just right, but no matter how hard she tried it just didn't look as good as her father's. Peeta had assured his daughter many times that it just took practice. After all, he'd been painting much longer than she had. Dani supposed she was pretty good for her age and level of experience, but she longed for the day that she would come even close to being as good as her father.

Dani hadn't realized just how difficult it would be to capture the light correctly. Most of her outdoor paintings took place in the afternoon, and she'd only ever painted the sun itself once or twice. She'd underestimated the difficulty of capturing the many colors of the sky and how the sun beams poked slowly over the horizon. She glanced quickly at her father's canvas to see that he had captured it almost perfectly. Dani felt slightly disheartened when she looked back at her own canvas. The colors weren't exactly the right shade even though she'd probably spent more time mixing them than actually painting. Peeta, on the other hand, had seemed to know exactly how much of each paint to mix together and had created colors, in just the right shades, before Dani had even decided on what colors of paint to mix.

Peeta seemed to notice her frustration, and he glanced over at her painting for the first time. "It looks great." And his smile was so genuine that Dani almost believed him. In fact, she didn't think he was lying at all. Her father seemed to like all of her paintings. She could probably throw random blobs of paint on a canvas, and he'd still praise her.

"It does not." Dani began to let out all of her frustration. "Everything looks wrong. This bit right here should be yellower, and the sun beams aren't hitting this tree just right. Plus-"

"Dandelion," Peeta cut her off gently. "It's okay. It's your first time painting a sunrise. No one paints something perfectly the first time. You'd never done something like this before."

"I know," Dani's agreement only came from the knowledge that her father would never see it differently.

"Here," Peeta moved over to her canvas. "Let me show you how to fix the shading of the tree."

Peeta spent the next hour teaching Dani how to show the light hitting the tree just perfectly. By the time Peeta had finished his lesson, Dani's tree was on its way to looking almost as good as her father's. She beamed with pride as her mother came over to check out her work. There was a lot more work to be done on the painting, but Dani felt a lot more confident in how it would turn out. It still wasn't as good as her father's, but with a bit of work, maybe Dani really could be as good a painter as her father some day.


	3. Dark

"Can I keep the light on tonight?" Nickel asked his father as he pulled the blanket up to his chin.

Peeta, who had been about to flick the light switch off, stopped and turned toward his son. "Why?"

Peeta walked over to sit beside Nickel as the boy sat up in bed to share his fears with his father. "I think there's a monster under my bed," the seven-year-old whispered in his father's ear. "He makes noises when it's dark, but I think he's scared of the light. If I keep it on, he won't hurt me."

"Really?" Peeta was almost amused. He could somewhat relate to his son's fears. After all, he and Katniss had been trying to get away from their own nightmares for over twenty-five years. Luckily, Nickel's nightmares seemed a lot easier to vanguish, and Peeta hoped they would always stay that way. "Are you sure the monster's really there? Have you gotten a good look at him?"

Nickel shook his head back and forth quickly. "No! If I look at him he could jump out and get me!"

Peeta pretended to think for a minute. "I've got an idea. How about I look for him under the bed, and if he tries to get me, you can save me. Okay?"

"Okay!" Nickel agreed somewhat hesitantly. He clambered to the edge of the bed, ready to pull his father from the monster's grasp if needed. Peeta made a show of getting down on the ground and hesitating before lifting the bed skirt in one quick flash.

Peeta's eyes swept across the space underneath Nickel's bed before he looked up and announced, "Nothing there."

Peeta got up and sat down on the bed again, facing Nickel. "Still think there's a monster?"

Nickel thought about it for a moment before replying, "Maybe not?"

"I don't think there is," Peeta assured his son. "I bet you just heard something else and thought it was a monster."

"Maybe," Nickel agreed.

Peeta stood up and made his way to the door. Stopping next to the light switch he asked, "Still want the light on?"

It took Nickel a few moments of consideration. "Yes, please. Just in case. There's probably not a monster, but I want to be prepared."

Peeta smiled warmly at his son. "Of course. If a monster does show himself, just yell for me and Mommy, okay? We'll come get him."

"I know," Nickel replied as he laid down and tucked the blanket up to his chin again. "Good night, Daddy."

"Good night, son."


	4. Seeking Solace

"Why do you think Haymitch is like that?"

Dani turned from her spot on the back porch steps to find her little brother standing behind her. He was staring at Haymitch's backyard where the old man could be seen feeding his numerous geese.

"Like what?" Dani was honestly unsure of what her brother was implying. "He's just feeding his geese. You've seen him do it a million times before."

"Yeah," Nickel agreed. "But only for a week once a month or so. There are long periods of time where he just sits around drunk. I asked Mom about it once, and she wouldn't tell me anything."

"Maybe he's just a drunk." Dani didn't know all of Haymitch's story, but she knew there was more to it than that. She'd learned enough about the old games Panem used to hold to know that they were horrible enough to turn any living victor into a drunk. Nickel, however, didn't know as much about the games as Dani. In his two years of schooling, he would have only learned the general history. He knew Haymitch and their parents were victors, but Dani didn't think Nickel fully realized what that meant.

"It helps him forget," Dani told him. "It's his solace."

"Forget what?" Nickel seemed confused. "His games?"

Dani nodded. "Of course. Can you imagine having to kill and then being in charge of tons of kids over the years who end up dying? Anyone would want to forget."

"But Mom and Dad don't drink alcohol. At least I've never seen them drunk before." Nickel seemed to be struggling to wrap his mind around what his sister was saying.

"That's because they've never been drunk before. At least not since I can remember." Dani thought for a moment before adding. "They must have different ways of forgetting."

"Like what?" Nickel looked up at his big sister.

"I don't know. Us. Each other, maybe."

Nickel looked back at Haymitch as he turned his sister's words over in his head. "But Haymitch has us too. Plus, Mom and Dad. He lives right next-door. He sees us all the time."

Dani had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes at her naive little brother. "It's not the same, Nickel. Mom and Dad are married. Haymitch doesn't have a wife, and he's never even had a girlfriend that I can remember. We're Mom and Dad's kids. Haymitch doesn't have kids."

Nickel still didn't seem to get it. "But we still love Haymitch too."

"Yeah," Dani tried to quell her frustration. "But you love Dad more than Haymitch right."

"Of course, he's Dad."

"Exactly."

Nickel thought maybe he was beginning to understand. It was sad, he thought. "Hey, Dani."

"Yeah, Nickel?"

"Do you think we could find Haymitch a wife, so she could be his solace and he wouldn't have to drink anymore?"

Dani smiled at her brother's innocence. "You could try, but I doubt you'd be successful. Good luck though."

"Yeah," Nickel sighed. "No one would want to put up with those geese."

Dani laughed. "Right. The geese are the most annoying thing about Haymitch. They're definitely keeping Haymitch from finding the right woman."


	5. Break Away

**A/N: It's been about a week, but here's the next chapter finally! It's finals week, and I go home on Thursday, so I'm going to say the next one will be up sometime next week. I'm definitely not putting another one up during finals.**

**Just so everyone knows before reading, Gale and Johanna are married in this story, and you meet their oldest child in this one. The rest of the family will make appearances later.**

Dani stopped abruptly after spotting someone familiar in the distance. "Dad," she called. Her father stopped and put a hand on her brother's shoulder to stop him as well. Peeta turned to Dani with a questioning look. "Is that Alder Hawthorne?" She pointed to the tall, dark young man who seemed to have just left the market.

"I think it is." Peeta seemed just as curious at the boy's presence as his daughter. He began leading the way towards the nineteen-year-old. "Alder," he called to get the young adult's attention.

The young man spun around. "Mr. Mellark," he remarked. Alder seemed slightly surprised to find the three of them there, but he smiled slightly at the look of surprise on all of their faces. "It's nice to see you guys. I was going to come and visit soon."

"If you don't mind my asking," Peeta began slowly. "Just what are you doing here in District 12? Gale and Johanna haven't said anything about visiting recently."

"Oh, Mom and Dad aren't here." Alder began walking again and motioned for them to follow him. "I'm living in District 12 now. Just arrived yesterday. Grandma found me a place before I even got here and had it waiting for me."

Nickel was hanging on Alder's every word, having long immulated him. "Why would you want to move to District 12?" Nickel asked. "It's so far away from your family."

Alder smiled down at the young boy and ruffled his hair. "I got a job here," Alder explained. "I've loved District 12 ever since I was little. It's always been more appealing to me than District 2. Mom and Dad didn't seem to mind my moving. I think Mom's a bit disappointed I chose Twelve instead of Seven though. She'd love an excuse to move back there, but I'd much rather be here. We only visited Seven once, and I wasn't a fan of the weather. Too much rain up there. Twelve's nicer when it comes to climate, and I have plenty of family around if I ever get lonely."

"I can't imagine," Dani breathed as she looked at Alder in awe.

"You two are young," said Alder. "Of course being away from you parents, let alone your home district would sound scary. Wait until you're older. You'll be dying to get away." His chuckling ended as he stopped outside of a small house just on the outskirts of town. "This is it," he brandished his hand in front of the house.

"You'll be living right down the street from Posey then," observed Peeta.

Dani noticed Alder roll his eyes slightly. "Yeah, I think Mom and Dad have ordered her to keep tabs on me actually. She keeps popping up at odd times with different excuses. It's driving me mad. No matter how many times I tell her I can take care of myself, she always comes back."

"She'll calm down soon," Peeta assured him. "Especially if the famous Mason hostility shows itself."

Alder's face contorted, no doubt thinking of how scary his mother could be when provoked.

Peeta clapped a hand on Alder's shoulder. "We'd best be going. I told Katniss we wouldn't be long, and we still need to get a few things. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to learn that you're here. Why don't you come by for dinner tomorrow. You remember where the house is right?"

"Of course," Alder smiled. "I'll be there."

Alder waved farewell as Peeta guided his children back towards the town. Dani and Nickel were still in awe of Alder's significant move. "Can you imagine leaving home forever?" Dani asked her little brother, who vehemently shook his head no.

"Someday you will though." Dani thought she detected sadness in her father's voice. He looked down at them softly. "When you're older you'll leave home too. I hope you stay in District 12, but you'll still be away from your mother and me."

Dani had never really thought about it before, and neither, it seemed, had Nickel. Neither of them said anything as they continued to walk side-by-side with their father. Dani could only hope that the day she left home would be a long, long time from now. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving her parents, especially if it caused her father any pain.


	6. Innocence

**A/N: Sorry for the ten days between updates, everyone! I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. I don't know if it's the shortest one so far, but it's definitely one of the shortest, and I'm just not sure how I feel about it at all. I hope you enjoy it though!**

Usually Katniss was able to admit to herself that refusing to have children for fifteen years had been a mistake. She would often watch Dani and Nickel and wonder how she could have denied Peeta, and even herself, this for so long. Then, out of the blue, the fear would hit her again. Suddenly she'd remember exactly why she'd been adamant about having no children. The fear would often make its reappearance when one of her children was hurt or showed signs of growing up too quickly.

When Katniss walked down the hall one day and heard a small, sad voice that she knew belonged to her son whispering quietly to someone that could only be her daughter, it didn't take long for the fear to begin creaping up on her again.

"I guess I knew," the small voice whispered. "I just never thought about it that way." Katniss didn't know what had made Nickel so upset. She longed to enter the room and try to make it better, but instead she forced herself to stop and listen for a moment.

"I understand," Dani wrapped an arm around her younger brother. "I went through the same thing. I mean, we learned about the games at school, but since we didn't live through them, I guess we don't really understand." Katniss froze at the mention of the games. "It wasn't until Haymitch said something offhand that I realized that Mom and Dad, and even Haymitch and the other former tributes, are only here now because they _killed_. It was obvious once I realized it, but I'd never really thought about it before."

Nickel nodded in agreement. "It's not that I don't love Mom and Dad anymore. It's just hard thinking about them killing people."

Katniss backed quickly away from the door. They had never hidden anything from their children, but they hadn't exactly sat there and told them everything either. She had figured that they would learn everything on their own soon enough, and she'd been right. To hear her children talking about her and Peeta committing murder terrified her. She didn't know how she could face them. She hurried towards the stairs, as quiet as always so they'd never know she was there.

Her plans to slip out the door unnoticed were thwarted when Peeta stepped in front of her at the foot of the stairs. He didn't ask her any questions as she threw herself into his arms. She cried for what seemed like ages. For years she'd relished the fact that she was like a hero to her children. They knew she'd been important to the rebellion sure, but more importantly she'd been their mom. Now, they knew the horrible truth. Katniss wasn't quite sure who's loss of innocence she was crying over: theirs or hers.


	7. Breathe Again

**A/N: An update just a day later! I'm proud of myself. Haha. I also plan on having at least one more update before Christmas.**

**I didn't realize that I'd basically written about Peeta's feelings about having kids right after Katniss' until now, but I guess that makes sense. It kind of connects them together at any rate.**

Peeta had waited a long time to have children. Somehow he had always known that Katniss would come around. He hadn't pushed her. There had only been a few times he'd mentioned it over the years. She knew it was what he wanted though, and he had known that she was struggling over it in her head. He had expected her to come around, but it had still been a shock to him when she had told him they could have children.

Now, as he sat in the meadow next to his wife and watched his children run through the tall grass, he still couldn't help put marvel over the two children that seemed to be the perfect mixes of Katniss and him.

Dani bent over to look at something in the grass before running towards them with something yellow in her hand. "Look what I found!" In her hand was a yellow dandelion. Dandelions had been Dani's favorite flowers her whole life, as she had been named after them. Peeta was fairly sure that she had managed to find the last yellow dandelion in the meadow as many of the scattered flowers had turned feathery and white by this time of year. "Can you hold it for me while I play?" She held the small flower out to Peeta who took it from her and began to twirl it around in his hand.

"What are you thinking about?" Katniss suddenly spoke up. Peeta turned to see her lounging in the grass beside him. At his questioning look she responded, "You look like you're thinking about something. And you're being quieter than normal. What is it?"

"I was just thinking about when you finally agreed to have kids," he explained. Katniss looked at him a moment before turning to watch their children.

"I'm glad I did," she sighed before leaning against Peeta.

"Me too," Peeta smiled. "I think they've helped. I thought I was mostly over the hijacking before them, but there's something about them that makes life easier. It's as if each year it got a little bit easier to breathe, but I wasn't breathing normally until they came. There are still the occassional asthma attacks, but overall, my breathing's normal again." He paused a moment before laughing. "That sounded ridiculous."

"No, I get it." Peeta looked down to see Katniss watching him with understanding in her eyes. He leaned down to kiss her before they both turned back to their laughing, playful children.


	8. Memory

Nickel was enthralled with the book he held in his hands. It had sat on a shelf in their house for as long as he could remember, but he'd never felt the slightest bit of curiousity as to what was inside of it. Then, earlier that night he'd been bored. Haymitch was over for dinner, and Dani was spending the night at a friend's house. This meant Nickel had to find a way to occupy time while his parents and Haymitch discussed boring adult things he had no interest in. He'd been wandering around the house in search of some form of amusement when his eyes landed on the book.

It was out in the open, but Nickel had been unsure whether or not he should pick it up without permission from his parents. Once he thought about it, it seemed a bit odd that it was there. It was the only book on display in the house except the plant book that Nickel and Dani had been permitted to flip through many times before. Nickel suddenly became curious as to why his parents had never shown him this one before.

After debating with himself a few minutes Nickel decided it couldn't be _that_ off limits if it was left out in the open. He grabbed the book off the shelf. It almost left his hands after he underestimated it's heaviness. He set it gingerly on the table after that. Right away he could tell this was homemade, just like the plant book. His curiousity was at an all time high as he flipped to the first page.

Nickel hadn't been sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't pictures of people he'd never seen before. He looked closely at the picture of the blonde girl on the first page. She seemed to be a year or two older than Dani. The picture seemed to have been drawn by his father, and the girl resembled him in a way. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were just like his dad. His sister had inherited the same blue eyes, and he had gotten the blonde hair.

After looking more closely at the words written in a familiar handwriting Nickel discovered the girl's name was Prim. He'd only heard the name a handful of times, but he knew it belonged to his deceased aunt. Nickel didn't know much about her except she'd been young when she died and his mother seemed to become sad whenever her name was mentioned. Nickel assumed he probably could know more if he'd ever bothered to ask, but he'd never thought to. Looking at this now, he finally became curious about what happened to this girl.

He knew before he began reading that her death could probably be contributed to the war, but skimming the page, he realized he'd have to ask his parents to confirm that as nothing about her death was written on the page except a date. A date that Nickel was surprised to see was exactly fifteen years before Dani's birth. Dani was born on the fifteenth anniversary of their aunt's death. Nickel had never suspected that.

Nickel quickly became immersed in the things his mother had written about her sister. They were such small things, things that were needed to completely picture someone in your mind. Nickel looked at the picture his father had drawn and thought about the various things he now knew about his aunt. Nickel thought he could picture her clearly in his mind. From the vivid picture he now had of her, he knew it was a shame that he would never get to meet her. It sounded like she would have been a nice aunt. Besides that, she could have given him cousins. He had always wanted another boy in the family.

A lot of time passed before Nickel remembered there was more to this book than just the first page. The man looking up from the page reminded Nickel of his mother immediately. When he noticed the last name Everdeen written underneath he knew this had to be one of his grandfathers. He took his time to take in all of the information on the page. All the while he couldn't help but dream about what it would have been like to know the man. Then, he turned the page and found another picture of a man, this one resembling his father. Nickel's eyes scanned the page just as eagerly as it had the previous ones.

It wasn't long before Nickel had worked his way through the entire book. With each page he got a little less invested as the people became less familiar and the stories went back farther. When he was finished reading, he found himself in a bit of a daze. Not one page had made a mention to death, but Nickel could still tell what this book was by the death date included on every single page right next to a birthdate or a note saying the date of birth was unknown. Nickel had heard of many of these people before. His parents often told stories of the people he'd seen on the beginning pages, but there was something that saw it written down in a book full of other deceased that made Nickel feel a bit odd. He didn't have much experience with death. In fact, he wasn't sure if his seven-year-old mind could completely grasp it. All he knew was that the feeling he was getting in his stomach was unpleasant.

Nickel knew he wouldn't be able to hide his new knowledge from his parents. He'd let it slip like usual. Nickel glanced towards the kitchen where he could still hear his parents and Haymitch conversing. After a few moments of thought, Nickel headed for the kitchen, book in hand. There was a slight moment of hesitation when he actually laid eyes on them around the table, but he continued walking until he stood between his parents.

Katniss and Peeta's eyes immediately fell on the book. There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at the book, unsure of what to say. Finally, Nickel spoke in a soft voice, "I was bored, and I found this on the shelf." He looked up at his parents nervously.

Katniss sighed before pulling him up onto her lap, something she hadn't done since he declared himself too old for it a year earlier. He didn't complain though as he sunk into his mother's embrace. If there was a time he needed a bit of comforting, it was now.

Peeta picked up the old book and began to flip through it even though he knew exactly what he would see. Nickel figured his dad was trying to figure out just how much of the book Nickel had read. Nickel turned to look at Haymitch to see the old man watching the scene awkwardly. Nickel half expected him to bolt out the door at any minute.

Nickel found himself being the one to break the silence once again. "They seemed like good people. All of them." It seemed like such a generic, simple thing to say, but Nickel wasn't sure what else to do and didn't like the silence. When he got the courage to look at the adults again, he thought he saw tears being held back in all of their eyes.

"They were," Katniss whispered in his ear. The silence returned and this time Nickel didn't break it. He just sat there on his mom's lap, while his father continued to flip through the book and Haymitch sat in silence. It wasn't until about half an hour later that Haymitch announced he needed to be heading back to feed his geese. From the slur of his words, Nickel could guess the geese shouldn't be getting their hopes up for a meal tonight.

Things returned to normal as his parents saw Haymitch off, making sure he made it to his door as usual. There was no more mention of the book that night or even in the next week, month, or year. The book didn't need words. It spoke for itself.


	9. Insanity

**A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! I guess we can consider this a Christmas present. I hope all of you had a wonderful day, regardless of whether you celebrate the holiday or not. I hope you all enjoy seeing Johanna for the first time in the story. You also get to meet one of Gale and Johanna's other kids.**

"I'll never understand the appeal of District 12." Johanna looked at the town with slight disgust. Peeta, who had always found her hatred for the place amusing, grinned. "Gale always talks about it so fondly. It looks like a pit, and this is probably ten times better than before the rebellion."

"Maybe so," Peeta answered. "But it's home."

"You don't even have decent trees," Johanna grumbled, looking past the fence that still surrounded the district. "These all look like pathetic wimps compared to the giant evergreens in District 7."

Alder rolled his eyes at his mother as he followed along behind her and Peeta. "Mom, no matter how many times you insult District 12, I'm not moving, not even to District 7."

Peeta had offered to show Johanna around District 12 in order to give Katniss and Gale time to catch up together, and Alder, Linde, and Nickel had tagged along. Dani had taken Rowan, Johanna and Gale's daughter, off to meet some of her friends. For the past half hour, Johanna had done nothing but insult everything she passed in a futile attempt to prove to her oldest son that he had made a large mistake. Peeta had attempted to quell the growing tension between the mother and son, but had finally given up and decided to take it in stride.

Nickel and Linde didn't seem as amused by the conversation as Peeta. At fifteen years old, Linde seemed to have hit his teenage rebellion years, and he did not seem happy about being dragged all the way to District 12 to spend time with his family. Nickel, much to the teen's dismay, was almost as enthralled with Linde as he was with Alder, and he was quite enjoying having two older boys to follow around and emulate. He was happily occupying the space between Linde and Alder as they walked and seemed to hang on their every word and action. (Not that Linde was doing much but pouting.)

Before long their walk had brought them to the meadow. This was the one place Johanna didn't make a comment about. She knew the place held significance for Katniss and Peeta, and she knew the place doubled as a burial ground. Not even Johanna Mason-Hawthorne would insult a graveyard. The children had never been informed of the meadow's second use, and all three had played in it over the years. Even Linde seemed a little more peaceful in the beautiful meadow as the five of them lounged underneath the shade of a tree. It was only Johanna who seemed slightly uncomfortable.

"How do you deal with coming here all the time?" she whispered to Peeta. The kids looked slightly confused. This question hadn't been asked with the same bitter tone her past insults of the day had used.

"We focus on the beauty," was Peeta's simple reply. "If we did otherwise, it would drive us to insanity."

Johanna chuckled, "I think you've both already reached insanity." Peeta agreed and began to laugh as well. No matter how odd the children found this exchange, they quickly turned their attention from it in favor of more amusing things. Before long all five of them were pointing out pictures in the clouds.


	10. Silence

**A/N: I think this is a bit different from the others since there's absolutely no dialogue. It's just Dani thinking. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

Dani had been sitting in the living room with her father and brother for several hours now, and not one word had been spoken. She quite liked these silent moments. Their house had always been on the quiet side. Her mom was a quiet person, who only saw the need to talk when neccessary, and Dani supposed she had inherited this quality. They just didn't feel the need to constantly fill the silence. Her father on the other hand, enjoyed a good conversation, and her brother had inherited this quality. The two could strike up a conversation with just about anyone and could go on for hours. Still, at home they too often went about the day in near silence. That was just the way her family had always worked. They talked too each other all of the time, but they weren't afraid of silence either.

On this particular day, Dani's mother had gone to the woods to hunt. Nickel, now almost eight, had begun tagging along occassionally, but Katniss had asked him to stay here for the day, which he was still pouting about. Dani figured her mother wanted time to actually hunt instead of teaching Nickel how to aim. Still, from what Dani heard, Nickel was learning fast, and may even become as good of a shooter as their mom someday. Dani, unlike her brother, had never been hunting in her life. She didn't have a problem with the actual killing as much as she did the skinning and preparation of the meat. It grossed her out. She couldn't aim a bow and arrow anyway. She much prefered to spend her days painting or baking with her dad while her mom and brother went off to the woods.

Dani had been trying to read some teen romance book. She'd been really into it for most of the morning, but her mind had begun to wander sometime after lunch. She was currently staring out the window at nothing as she thought over things.

Dani enjoyed thinking. She figured that was probably why she enjoyed silence. You couldn't think well when it was loud. It wasn't that she had any particular troubling thought that she needed to think through. She just liked thinking about small, little things. She thought about the view out the window, her family, her small group of friends, and life. Nothing captured her mind for too long.

Dani wasn't sure how long it had been when she decided she'd been thinking long enough. It had felt like just a few minutes to her, but when she looked up and noticed the absence of her brother and father, she wasn't so sure. Then, she picked up on the scent of meat being cooked in the kitchen. A quick look at the clock told her it was almost supper time, and she smiled to herself. She always got lost in her thoughts. Dani wandered off to the kitchen to find the rest of the family. She was sure her father would make a joking comment about her being "lost in her thoughts again." Her silence would be broken. For now that was okay though. Sometimes noise was nice too, expecially when it comes in the form of family.


	11. Blood

**A/N: This wasn't meant for people with a phobia of blood! The research for this made me sick. The emotions made this hard to write as well. I know medicine has probably advanced, but we're going to assume stitches and stuff are the same. Thanks to my mom for help with medical stuff.**

Katniss saw blood regularly, whether it was in her nightmares or after making a kill out in the woods. Katniss had never seen blood as something to be scared of. Sometimes seeing blood meant death, but the blood itself wasn't actually causing the death. There was no logical reason to fear the red substance. In fact, blood was a requirement of life. Why then was the blood she saw now sending terror through her?

Katniss had been hunting in these woods for years. She never worried about tripping over a stray branch or rock. That's why she had been so startled to hear a thump immediately followed by a cry of pain. The first thing Katniss noticed upon turning around was that Nickel was now on the forest floor. The next thing she noticed was that his bow was still in his hands, but his arrow was suspiciously missing. It took miliseconds for her to piece together the arrow's position. She closed the three feet between her and her son quicker than ever before and began to inspect the leg wound the arrow had caused.

Katniss had never liked wounds, but seeing her own child in pain was the worst she had ever felt. There was also something about the blood that scared her like never before. In the past, it had always been the pain she saw that scared her. Now, this wound brought a new kind of terror to her. Not only was her child in pain, it was also a terrible wound that much she could tell already. Horrible scenerios ran through her mind: What if it had to be amputated? What if he lost too much blood? The sight of blood had never scared her so much. The rational part of her mind was telling her that, while serious, this didn't look like a fatal wound if it was taken care of properly. Her emotions, however, were telling her the exact opposite.

She went to pick the young boy up but quickly realized that the eight-year-old had grown in the past year or so. Nickel was now three-fourths of her size, and there was no way Katniss could make it anywhere while lugging him. She also knew that she was too far from town or people for her to run for help. There was no way she was leaving Nickel alone in the woods, especially with his injury. This was the only time she'd ever regreted not buying one of those stupid little phones you could carry around with you. They'd always been popular with the Capital and had begun catching on in the districts, but Katniss had always thought them a waste of money.

Katniss's mind had been working overtime in the five minutes since Nickel had fallen, and she forced herself to calm down. Nickel had begun to cry, and Katniss did the only thing she could think of at the moment. She sat down next to him and held him against her chest while running through every possible course of action she could think of. None of them were realistic or possible. Katniss had never been one to believe in miracles, but she found herself wishing someone would magically stumble upon them in the usually deserted woods.

It didn't take Katniss long to realize she was going to have to do something about the wound herself. The thought made her queasy, but she braced herself for what she knew had to be done. Katniss could remember being told sometime in the past that it wasn't good to remove something lodged in the skin. At least not if it was in as deep as the arrow. That would only cause the blood to flow faster. At least, she knew that applied to some wounds. Was it true for this one? Maybe that was only if it hit a vital organ. She didn't have any medical supplies on her, and she had no way of cleaning the wound if she removed the arrow. She was going to have to get Nickel to the hospital in town, and the only way to do that was for him to limp while Katniss supported as much of his weight as possible. It would have to work.

"Nickel," Katniss's voice was raspy from fear but she succeeded in getting her son's attention. "You're going to have to try and walk. I'll support as much of your weight as I can, but you're going to have to try. It's the only way to get you to town."

The boy nodded in agreement but didn't look happy about it. His breathing became even more ragged as Katniss hauled him to his feet. It was a struggle, and Katniss could tell that this would be just as difficult as she imagined it. She could only hope that they'd run into help on the edge of town, so they wouldn't have to make it all the way to the hospital by themselves.

An eternity seemed to pass before they reached the fence surrounding the district. Katniss had to lower Nickel to the ground before working to make an opening large enough for her to fit through while supporting Nickel. Katniss wasn't one to normally call attention to herself, yet she found cries for help leaving her mouth as they came upon the first scattered houses on the outskirts of town.

Katniss spotted a few people peak out of their windows, but only one came to their aid. The man was middle-aged and kindly-looking. Katniss could almost cry as he lifted Nickel into his arms and began carrying him the remaining way to the hospital. The small hospital was a welcome sight when they finally came upon it, and doctors rushed to their aid. Katniss knew they were lucky to live in District 12 where the hospital was always low on patients because of their small population. If the hospital had been busier, they could have been waiting a long time, and Katniss was getting more and more worried every second.

Although Katniss wanted nothing more than to stay right by Nickel's side, she knew Peeta needed to know what was happening, and she didn't feel right letting the nurse make the call for her. After two rings, Katniss started worrying that Peeta wasn't in the house to pick up the phone. She was getting impatient when she finally heard him say hello on the other end.

"Peeta," she spoke in a rushed voice. "It's Katniss. I'm at the hospital. Nickel got hurt in the woods. Arrow in his leg. I got him here as fast as possible. Can you come?"

There was a second of silence where Katniss assumed Peeta was taking it in. "I'm on my way," Peeta said before hanging up the phone.

Katniss rushed back down the hallway to find a doctor leaning over Nickel. There were also two nurses standing by. Katniss felt a bit uneasy over leaving her son with three strangers when he was in such a state. Neither the nurses nor doctor paid her much attention as she made her way to her son's side. Her grip on Nickel's hand was tight as she watched the doctor extract the arrow from the wound. Once the arrow was extracted and handed off to one of the nurses, Katniss heard the doctor muttering to himself, "Doesn't seem to have hit anything we can't fix. Should just need stitches." Katniss breathed a large sigh of relief, taking this as a good sign.

If the sight of the needle used to numb Nickel's skin had caused Katniss discomfort, Katniss's stomach convulsed as she watched the doctor sew up Nickel's skin. Katniss knew how stitches worked, but she'd never expected them to really be that similar to sewing pieces of fabric. The doctor had obviously done this many times before as he sewed up the skin quickly with a stitch that expert seamstresses would have been jealous of.

Peeta found Katniss and Nickel moments later. The doctor had just left, and Katniss was fussing over Nickel as he tried to make himself more comfortable without upsetting his leg. Dani was with her father and appeared sick. She'd never been in a hospital before, and she didn't like the eerie atmosphere of the place.

"The doctor said he can leave soon. He'll just need to be careful about his leg." Katniss told the new-comers as they crowded around Nickel's bedside.

Peeta let out a sigh of relief, and his whole body seemed to instantly relax after inspecting his son. Dani quietly stood away from the others as she observed her brother. She wasn't sure what to say or do. The stitches on his leg were something she'd never seen before. Although Dani felt relief that her brother seemed to be okay physically, she was a bit wary of how he was doing emotionally. This wasn't just a minor cut. He'd had to go to the hospital. She didn't know how to act. Should she act sorry for him or just express happiness that he was okay? She settled for standing between her parents in silence.

Nickel, however, didn't seem to notice the extreme emotions his injury had caused his family. He was inspecting his stitches as closely as he could without touching them. He stared in wonder at them for a few minutes. "These are so cool!" he finally exclaimed. All of the pain he'd gone through today seemed to have been forgotten. "They just sewed it up like I was a doll! Am I going to have these stitches forever? Because I want to show everyone! Wait until my friends see this!" In his excitement, Nickel failed to notice his father's chuckling or the fact that his mother was staring at him in shock and suddenly seemed unsteady on her feet. Dani smiled at her brother and hopped onto the hospital bed beside him before joining him in inspecting this leg.


	12. Tears

Peeta always enjoyed the days he picked up is children from school. The walk home was always pleasant, and the kids usually seemed extra cheery right after school. Never before had Peeta arrived at the school to find one of his children sitting in front of the building with tears running down his face.

Peeta was crouching down in front of his son before he even realized the other boy's presence. Colby, Nickel's best friend, was watching Nickel with a worried look on his own face.

"What happened?" Peeta directed the question at both boys.

When Colby realized that Nickel had no intention of answering, he spoke up. "Some boys were bothering him. They said stuff about you and Mrs. Mellark being famous and how Nickel could never live up to you guys. They said he was a loser."

Peeta gritted his teeth and reminded himself that going after these boys wouldn't solve anything. His son was more important right now. "Nickel, none of that is true." Peeta didn't really expect those words to have much of an effect, but there wasn't much else to say.

"I know that," Nickel quietly remarked. "But it still felt bad."

Peeta sighed, "The hurt will go away as long as you remember it's not true." He glanced around the schoolyard. "Where's your sister?"

"She went after the boys when I told her what happened."

Peeta knew that couldn't be good. "Stay here for a minute," he told Nickel. "I'll go find her."

It didn't take long for Peeta to find Dani standing in front of three very terrified young boys who quickly scurried away when Peeta distracted Dani. Instead of scolding her as Dani was obviously expecting, Peeta just led her back over to her brother before they headed home.


	13. Sorrow

**A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait, guys! Since my last update school's started back up for me again, and I've been adjusting to my new classes and stuff. It's going pretty well.**

**I had fun getting into Mrs. Everdeen's head for this. She wasn't a character I gave much thought to while reading the books, but she turned out to be pretty interesting to write. Also, don't ask how I came up with Dani's new hobby. I don't know a thing about needlepoint, but it seemed like a somewhat quirky hobby to have. I guess I liked the idea of Dani having a hobby that was somewhat unusual.**

Mrs. Everdeen had never particularly enjoyed her rare visits to District 12. It was an entirely different place than the one she had left, yet it held a certain quality about it that took her back to a different time. A time she had no interest in being reminded of on a daily basis during her trip. Still, she forced herself to travel to the small district at least once a year. For years it had only been to see her daughter and the man who eventually became her son-in-law. Then one year she found herself beginning to visit grandchildren. She knew visiting the only family she had left in the world should feel her with joy, and it did at times, but even more of her time spent in the district was taken up by her struggle to forget the past.

She knew Katniss would have taken any excuse she gave her as a reason not to come, but she'd never been able to bring herself to that. Sometimes Mrs. Everdeen wondered if it was because she had to prove to Katniss, and herself, that she was still a mother. Yet most of her visits were spent largely out of Katniss' company. Her grandchildren seemed happy to see her at least, but she wasn't much fun to play with. She wasn't often away from her own sorrow enough to play childish games, and her old age made it even more difficult these days. Unfortunately, this left her with a lot of free time during her visits, which was omething she didn't want in a place where it was so easy to sink back into horrible memories. She was forced to wander around the house she had lived in for almost a year. A house that held some of the memories she was most anxious to get rid of. Yet she still came.

On this particular visit she had spent more time alone than she had on any visit since Dani and Nickel were born. In addition to all of her usual sorrow, she was forced to face the fact that they were growing up. It seemed like Dani was constantly off with one of her friends, and Nickel was either with his own friends or out in the woods with Katniss, something that worried her ever since she had heard about his leg injury. She tried to visit during school holidays, but that never seemed to matter. Katniss and Peeta had always been busy when she was there. Mrs. Everdeen was positive that Katniss went out of her way to be out of the house as much as possible. Peeta made an effort to keep her company, but she never knew what to say to the man and he had a bakery to run for most of the day.

On this particular day, Mrs. Everdeen had busied herself by looking through the old plant book when Nickel suddenly came through the front door, startling her a bit.

"Grandma," the boy seemed extremely excited. "Guess what happened at school today." He looked at her expectantly, waiting for a reply.

Mrs. Everdeen honestly had no clue what could have caused Nickel so much excitement, and she'd never been one for guessing games. There was an awkward moment of silence while she struggled with a response before Katniss came in the door Nickel had left wide open carrying two bows and some arrows. They either hadn't made any kills or had stopped to sell the meat in town.

Nickel finally seemed to realize that his grandmother wasn't answering anytime soon, so he leaned in to tell her quietly. "Mommy used the money we got from selling meat in town to buy Dani's birthday present, and I know what it is!"

"And you promised you wouldn't tell," Katniss scolded him gently from the hallway where she was placing her load in the closet.

"I'm not telling Dani!" Nickel protested. "And Grandma won't tell her either. Will you Grandma?"

"Of course not," Mrs. Everdeen smiled down at her grandson. She was thrilled at the chance of being in on something. Nickel's trust in her secretly made her gleeful that she was being included in a family secret.

"It's canvas and yarn for her to needlepoint more. We even got a book to help her!" Nickel's excitement seemed to be at the same level Dani's would be when she opened her present.

Katniss came and sat on the couch next to Nickel. "She did some needlepoint at school and loved it. She got Peeta's creativity, but she doesn't feel like painting is her thing. She's good, but she seems to think she could be even better at needlepoint. I suppose she likes that it's something of her own. Painting gives her time with Peeta, but she likes being able to make something that she won't mentally compare to her father's work."

Mrs. Everdeen was surprised that Katniss had been able to come to these conclusions when she was usually so clueless about other people. Katniss must have been able to read her mother's expression. "Or at least that's what Peeta told me the other day," she smirked slightly. As Mrs. Everdeen smiled back she realized this was a bit of a new experience. She couldn't remember the last time Katniss had truely smiled at her. It was a small thing, but it made her continual sorrow just a tiny bit more bearable. After all, District 12 may hold a lot of painful memories, but it also held her family.


	14. Happiness

**A/N: As far as all of these one-shots go, this is the one most connected to another. This one-shot takes place just several days after the last one. While all of these go in chronological order, these are the only ones that are really connected in any way. That being said, reading the last one isn't really necessary to understanding this one either.**

Nickel had always known his grandmother to be a morose sort of person. The only smiles she offered him were fleeting and quickly dissappeared. This trip, however, she seemed different. or she had for the past few days at least. After Nickel had let her in on the secret of Dani's birthday present, Mrs. Everdeen had suddenly begun smiling more. It was a strange but not unpleasant change.

Dani and Nickel had been rather surprised to find their grandmother in their father's company when he came to pick them up from school one day. Mrs. Everdeen had brushed it off. "Oh, I just thought some fresh air would be nice. I hadn't gotten out of the house much while I was here." None of the other three bothered pointing out to her that she almost never left their house when she was in District 12. On one of their few trips to visit Mrs. Everdeen and Annie in District 4, their grandmother had constantly accompanied them places, but not even Nickel, in his young age, had missed that Mrs. Everdeen seemed just a little scared of District 12. It had been something that had sparked Nickel's curiousity for a few years now, but he knew better than to question it. He didn't think it was something his grandmother would want to talk about.

Nickel began observing his grandmother as they walked back home at a very leisurely pace. Mrs. Everdeen still seemed slightly nervous as they walked through town. She threw sporadic glances over her shoulder as if waiting for something to jump at her, but she was outside of her own free will. Nickel was still marveling over that. Not only that, she was actively involved in the conversation and seemed more lively than Nickel had ever seen her in District 12. It was like she was suddenly the District 4 grandma that he didn't know as well but loved just as much.

"It is a nice day. Isn't it?" Mrs. Everdeen smiled at some newly planted trees as they walked. "I'm so glad I decided to come out and enjoy it."

Nickel looked at Dani who was shaking her head in fascination from behind their grandmother. She seemed just as confused about today's events as Nickel. Dani caught Nickel looking at her, and they both had to work to suppress giggles out of excitement.

"District 12 really is an entirely new place," Mrs. Everdeen continued. She'd been through town at least twice every trip as she came to and left the district, but she seemed to be seeing it for the first time. She actively inspected things now. It was the first time she'd realized just how new everything was. She'd been stuck in Victor's Village every trip here. The only part of District 12, she now realized, that had remained the same. She would have been better off leaving to visit the town every day. It was a much less haunting place.

The new District 12 was much more lively than the place she'd once called home. There were well-fed, happy children running around everywhere. Mrs. Everdeen supposed many of them were also on their way home from school. The houses looked well-maintained instead of the rundown shacks that had previously occupied the area. Many people had beautiful gardens that contained everything from vegetables to flowers. One thing that stood out in particular was the love for trees the new residents of District 12 must have had. They seemed to grow in every yard. The whole district seemed more connected to the forest than ever before. Mrs. Everdeen had never thought about the fact that trees must grow very well here. After all, most of this was probably part of the forest before it became a district. There were small animals everywhere as well. Mrs. Everdeen spotted several rabbits and quite a few squirrels. You didn't see those types of animals in District 4. This was a District 12 she could grow to enjoy.

Mrs. Everdeen turned her attention to her grandchildren and son-in-law only to see them all three watching her as if she'd grown a third head. "What?" she asked feigning ignorance. They all smiled at her and just continued walking. Mrs. Everdeen continued to join in the happy conversation as the headed home. The old District 12 had always been a place of sorrow in her mind, but she was finally starting to realize just how much happiness the new one held.


	15. Flower

The whole family stood admiring the new painting adorning Dani's bedroom wall. The large painting showed a wide open field full of dandelions, Dani's namesake and favorite flower.

"I love it!" the girl exclaimed. The enthusiastic eleven-year-old threw herself in her father's arms as a thank you for the painting he'd done just for her birthday.

It reminded Dani of the meadow, one of her favorite places in the world. During the springtime it was always full of the small, yellow flowers. Dani remembered her parents reminding her that she'd been named after the very dandelions in that meadow since she was little. She'd always been able to tell dandelions were special to her parents, especially her mom, but she had never really understood why. Whatever the reason, they'd named her Dandelion after them, and Dani had grown up having great respect for the flower that most people considered just a common weed.

When she was about five, Dani had noticed dandelions in their own yard as well. She'd dug some up and placed them in with the primroses that were constantly growing in their garden. Her mother had gently explained that dandelions were a bit more independent than primroses. Their seeds rode through the wind and settled wherever they pleased. They might not want to stay in the small little flower bed year after year. It turned out her mother was right. Every so often, a dandelion would grow in their garden, and there were also at least a few scattered across the yard. Still, none of those small patches of dandelions compared to the dandelions that grew every spring in the meadow. For some reason those had always been the "real" dandelions to Dani, and she could just tell that these were the dandelions her father had captured in the painting. They just looked like meadow dandelions. Something about the independence and their ability to grow where ever they pleased dispite their small delicate shape filled Dani with pride for her namesake.


	16. Night

The darkness had settled in several hours ago, which at this time of year meant it was just cool enough outside that Dani felt snug in her light jacket. She had managed to pull it on before quickly following her father outside to where a very drunk Haymitch was squatting among a gaggle of geese.

"Haymitch," her father called to get the man's attention. "What are you doing out here? It's almost eleven o'clock at night."

Haymitch looked up at the moon that was gaining height in the sky before replying sarcastically, "Is it really?" He turned his attention back to the goose he'd been inspecting. Dani really had no idea what he was doing. Haymitch didn't usually bother the geese when he was drunk, and he never bothered to actually touch them drunk or sober. "How did you even know I was out here? Been spying on me?" Haymitch sent her father a glare, and Dani wasn't sure whether it was meant to be a joke or not.

She could just barely make out her father's eye roll in the dark. "We were watching a movie in the living room. Katniss spotted you through the window."

Haymitch muttered the word "movie" in distaste. "With the kids?" He motioned at Dani who had kept herself a few paces behind her dad. "As you pointed out, it's pretty late. Isn't it past their bedtime?"

Dani was surprised Haymitch thought she needed to be in bed. He usually didn't pay much attention to those sort of things.

"Nickel fell asleep on the couch, and Dani was about to fall asleep when Katniss spotted you." Peeta informed him. "Besides, it's the summer. Staying up late won't hurt them."

Haymitch grunted and turned back to the goose. "Haymitch," her dad caught the drunks' attention again. "What are you doing?"

It took Haymitch a second to respond. "I think this goose is sick. I'm giving him a check up."

This caused both Peeta and Dani to look slightly amused. "Since when do you know how to care for geese other than tossing them the occassional meal?" Peeta asked his old mentor.

"It doesn't take a doctor to tell when something's sick," Haymitch growled.

"Of course not," Peeta replied in a slightly mocking voice. "But it does take a certain type of person, namely a vet, to decide just what exactly is wrong with the animal."

"I'm more than capable of taking care of it," Haymitch snapped. "I've only raised this thing since it hatched. I've had plenty of sick geese over the years."

"And most of them were dead within several days," Peeta muttered under his breath. Dani tried to suppress a giggle. Haymitch let his geese breed freely, yet his flock had remained more-or-less the same size since he'd bought the first batch, all because so many ended up dying prematurely. It was definitely a case of survival of the fittest. Whichever goose was able to get the most of their meager nurishment got to survive the longest.

Haymitch didn't seem to know what to do with the goose now that it had been inspected. Regardless of his assertions otherwise, Haymitch had no idea how to heal the animal.

"Right," Haymitch stood, goose in hand. "I'll go take care of him in the house. See you later." With that, Haymitch marched back inside with the goose, sqwuaking loudly, under one arm.

Dani turned to her father and saw him attempting to suppress a grin. He looked down at her, and they shared a small laugh before heading back into their own home. Dani was already planning to run over to Haymitch's house the next morning to see just what his "diagnosis" of the goose had been.


	17. Stars

**A/N: I don't like this one at all. I really don't. I don't know what it is, and it seems cheesy and weird. I just didn't know what to do with this theme. Hopefully it's not too horrible...**

Peeta wasn't entirely sure what made him decide that they needed to have a "guy's night." He'd seen something similar on TV and thought it was a good idea. Plus, it gave Katniss and Dani the opportunity to spend some quality time together as well. It wasn't anything fancy. He had decided to just take Nickel to the new movie theater that had opened in town to see some movie. On a whim, he'd decided to invite Haymitch along, since he was practically a member of the family as well. Besides, there wasn't another shipment of alcohol for a week, and a grumpy Haymitch was doing everything he could to occupy himself.

After the movie, they decided to stop by the meadow for a little while and watch the sunset. Haymitch was grumbling on about this being a "girly" activity, but Nickel was always thrilled to spend time in the meadow. They found themselves staying even after the sunset. As the first stars began to appear in the sky, Peeta would point out different constellations and other things of interest.

There hadn't been much interest in stargazing while the Games had been happening, but astronomy (and, especially in the Capitol, astrology) had become a somewhat popular hobby in recent years. Apparently, it had always been a little popular in the Capitol where there were several large planetariums where citizens could enjoy the night sky without leaving the glaring lights of the city. Now, citizens from across Panem were starting to pick up the hobby as well. Peeta had only learned a few things, but he found the concept of the universe fascinating. It was something he remembered briefly discussing in school, but it wasn't until after the rebellion that he learned people had actually went up into space in the years before the disasters that destroyed North America. After the disasters, it hadn't been as important as rebuilding civilization, and humanity's fascination with the universe had kind of died except for the small group that liked to stargaze occassionally. Things were changing now though, and many people wanted to attempt to visit space again. Peeta thought that was being a little crazy, but it was fascinating nonetheless.

"That star right there," Peeta pointed, "is the brightest one in the sky. It's called Sirius or the Dog Star."

"The Dog Star?" Nickel questioned.

"It's in a constellation that's supposed to look like a dog." Peeta tried to trace the outline in the sky, but it was a bit difficult and he wasn't even entirely sure if was pointing to the right stars.

"And that there is the North Star. It's the star that's almost directly over the north pole. People used it as a guide to know what direction they were going on ships and long journeys back in the days before technology."

They stayed there for several hours, just looking into the sky. Even Haymitch seemed to become interested after a while. It wasn't until Nickel fell asleep that Peeta realized they should be heading home. Nickel didn't protest as he didn't have the energy to even try. He did, however, ask, "Dad, can we come back tomorrow night and look at the stars again? Maybe Mom and Dani can come." Peeta smiled and assured his son that they would come back soon.


	18. Eyes

**A/N: I don't really know what this is, but it's cute I guess...**

Dani considered her eyes her favorite feature. When she was really little she could remember staring in the mirror sometimes and noticing how blue they were. It had just been a small observation then. She hadn't paid it much mind. Her mother had told her several times that she had some of the prettiest eyes in the world. After hearing it over and over, Dani even started to consider that it may be true. There was something beautiful about the intensity of her blue eyes.

Yet what really made her eyes her favorite feature was that they were the only physical feature she shared with her dad. It wasn't that she didn't want to look like her mother, but she enjoyed having something from her father as well. Her interest had been piqued when their teacher had started going over genetics in class. Dani and Peeta were in the kitchen baking cookies one day when she mentioned it.

"Mom's always saying we're such similar people," she told him. "But our eyes are the only thing similar on the outside."

Peeta chuckled. "We may be similar in some ways, but you definitely have your mother in you too. Not only on the outside but inside too."

"I know that," Dani conceeded. "Like how both of us don't really like talking to people, but Mom says I'm more of a people person than she is. I don't go out of my way to talk to people, but if I do, she says I have the same way with people as you." Dani thought for a moment before adding. "She also said we have the same heart, which is kind of weird."

Peeta laughed softly at the expression on his daughters face. "I've heard eyes called the 'windows to the soul' before. Maybe that's why we have the same eyes: we have the same souls."

Dani's face was tight in concentration. "Maybe. It's a little confusing though. Genetics are complicated. Can you even inherit souls?"

"Who knows," Peeta shrugged. "I don't really understand it either. Some people don't even believe in souls."

"Do you?"

Peeta seemed unsure how to answer for a moment. "I honestly don't know. Actually, I'm not even sure what a soul would be exactly."

"Me either. Maybe I'll ask in school tomorrow when we talk about genetics again. Mrs. Coles might know."

"It wouldn't hurt to ask," Peeta told her. "But I don't know if she'll know anything about that. A top scientist might not even know much about souls. They're more something you just believe in without proof. They aren't the same thing for everyone either."

"Well, if there are souls," Dani said. "I think I got most of yours, which is why I got your eyes, and Nickel got most of Mom's so he got mom's eyes. But I still got part of mom's, and Nickel got part of yours because we both have similarities with both of you."

Peeta smiled, "Sounds good to me."


	19. Dreams

Dreams were an interesting thing. Nickel had long known of the complexity of dreams. It wasn't something he really understood. His young mind wasn't able to fully grasp what dreams even were, but he saw first-hand the wide variety of emotions dreams could bring. Like everyone else, Nickel experienced his own dreams. They weren't usually anything special. He had happy dreams, sad dreams, and, occassionally, nightmares. This would have been enough to show him just how different dreams could be, but he knew that his own dreams were just the tip of the iceburg. He may have been young, but he heard the screams that rang through the house on a regular basis. Funnily enough, he'd never given it much thought. When something happens from the time you're born you never stop to ask if it's normal or not. He was six before he realized what the screams meant. They were nightmares. Only these weren't like the nightmares he'd experienced. Nickel began to realize just how sinister dreams could be.

Now eight years old, Nickel knew without a doubt that something about his mom's nightmares weren't right. There was something different about them. Katniss wasn't dreaming that she was being chased by wolves or something like Nickel had in the past. These nightmares sounded much more terrifying. They were few and far between, but they'd been on Nickel's mind for several months. It had been three months since Nickel had last heard the screams. He was sure there were more than that. No doubt he'd become so accustomed to them that they often went unnoticed during the night. On this particular night though, curiousity overcame him, and he decided to go investigate.

His hands shook as he treaded down the hallway as quiety as possible. His mother's light gait was a welcome trait he'd inherited. He wasn't sure what he would find, and he wasn't sure how is parents would react if they discovered him. The thought made his heart pound. Nickel could hear whispers from his parents' bedroom that were distinctly his father's. Nickel's parents always left their door open a crack, and Nickel was pleased to see that there was just enough room for him to make out their bed in the darkness.

Nickel's ears began to pick up on the quiet sobs that were coming from his mother, and he recognized his father's whispers as reassuring comforts. The pain on his mother's face was evident, even in the darkness. Nickel knew without a doubt that she had faced something unimaginable to him just minutes ago.

Now that he was standing there, Nickel became unsure of what to do next. He hadn't really thought this through. Part of him wanted to go and hug his mother, but an even larger part of him wanted to run back to his bed and hide under the covers. The horrible pain he saw on his mother's face scared him, and he was worried about how his parents would react if they discovered what he had witnessed. After a minute of watching his parents while his mind went through his options, Nickel decided to go with the larger part of him. His feet hurried him back to the comfort of his bed as quick as they could without giving him away. Nickel burrowed his way deep under the covers, something he remembered doing since he began sleeping in a bed as opposed to a crib. He enjoyed the warmth and security that the blankets provided. Tonight, however, they failed to provide the same feeling of security. His mind was preoccupied, and he coudn't help but worry. If he fell asleep, could he have a nightmare like the one he'd just witnessed the aftermath of? Nickel had always thought of his dreams as fascinating. Most of them provided great amusement when he reminisced on them the next morning, but if dreams were capable of being that horrifying, Nickel wasn't sure he wanted to dream at all.


	20. Waiting

Nickel didn't like waiting. When he wanted things, he wanted them at that very moment. That didn't mean he threw temper tantrums whenever he didn't get something he wanted. No, his parents would never stand for that. He'd been taught not to complain about what he did or didn't have. If he was told he couldn't have something, he'd wipe it from his mind, and it would be forgotten. Tell him he could have something but at a later date, however, and he would be on edge until the moment he finally got it. Nickel didn't appreciate the anticipation. He didn't understand why some people, such as his sister Dani, seemed to enjoy it. He wanted things to happen immediately. What was fun about waiting?

That's why he had his bags packed for their trip to District 2 a whole two weeks early. He wanted to get on the train immediately. He just wished his parents could be convinced to do the same. Katniss was a bit shocked to come upon him stuffing his socks into the only available space in his crammed suitcase.

"Nickel?" she questioned from the doorway. Nickel spun around quickly as if he had done something wrong. "It's a little early to be packing, isn't it?" A part of her wondered if she should be praising her son. Didn't most parents have trouble getting their children to pack at all? But she just couldn't fathom why it was neccessary to be packed two weeks early. Chances were he'd be needing quite a few of those things she saw squished, very unneatly, in the suitcase.

Nickel stopped packing and sat on the bed instead, where Katniss joined him. "I'm ready to go now though."

Katniss laughed a little at his earnestness. "Honey, we can't leave yet. Your father's got work," she cut Nickel off before he could speak. "And no he can't just leave the bakery in the hands of his workers two weeks ahead of time. Plus, you and Dani still have school."

Nickel offered his mom a meek look. "We could always make up the school work later..."

Katniss let out a laugh, but her voice was stern when she answered. "No. You're not missing school. Two weeks isn't that long of a wait. It'll be over before you know it."

Nickel's suitcase recieved a dejected look. "Can I at least leave my things packed, so I don't have to later?"

"Sure," Katniss smiled. "But you might be needing some of those clean clothes." She directed a pointed look at the almost empty closet that was wide open on the opposite end of the room.

"Well," Nickel's face scrunched up in thought. "I'll just pull them out of here then, if they're needed. I'll see how much I can keep packed." The boy's face lit up as if he'd just challenged himself to something. Katniss mentally reminded herself to make sure he was wearing clean clothes each day until the trip.

"You might want to try and make it a little neater too," Katniss said. "Otherwise you're going to be wearing some pretty wrinkly clothes in District 2." She noticed that Nickel didn't look too pleased at the thought of folding all of his clothes.

"Two weeks," Nickel sighed as Katniss left the room. He turned to his messy attempts at packing and unhappily pulled out some shirts. He might as well have had to wait an eternity.


	21. Sacrifice

A week ago Nickel had been absolutely thrilled when his teacher announced that they would be beginning to study the Rebellion, starting with the 74th Hunger Games, in history. Regardless of who his parents were, his knowledge wasn't much better than his fellow classmates on the subject. He knew the basics just like everyone else, but it wasn't something openly discussed with his parents.

Seeing the familiar names of his parents in a school book was thrilling. It made him feel special and proud. Yet his feelings changed a bit as the week went on. Nickel imagined kids in other Districts didn't feel quite the same as he did while learning this stuff in school. Sure, they were affected by the war. They probably knew people in the war. But they'd never met the Mockingjay and Peeta Mellark like everyone in his class had. More importantly, they weren't their parents.

The class didn't go into much detail on all of the events. It was apparently believed that young children just needed to learn the sugar-coated, short version of history. The darker, more complicated parts could be shared with them later in life. There was just one little problem. Although Nickel could tell that Mrs. Power tried to disguise the grittier parts, it was hard to hide everything. A hundred years from now children learning the same thing would have a glorified picture of the events they were studying, but for Nickel and his peers it was too recent. This wasn't like the faraway historical figures they'd studied earlier in the year. This was the pain they could see on every adults' face whenever the Rebellion was mentioned. Even the normally cheerful Mrs. Power taught with a pinched look.

The aftermath of the 3rd Quarter Quell hit Nickel the hardest. He suddenly began to wonder what District 12 had been like before the catastrophic bombings. He'd heard of the event briefly in the past, but the true destruction they'd caused had never been in the forefront of his mind. What had the relatively new buildings that he knew as his home taken the place of?

The Quarter Quell aftermath was also when he discovered a truely shocking piece of information: his father had been held captive by the Capitol. The book was unclear about what had happened to him while in the hands of the corrupt government. Apparently, neither Peeta nor any other person in-the-know had ever spoken openly about it. Mrs. Power's face showed great curiousity when she shared that little fact, and Nickel could tell by the look shot his way that she was hoping he could tell her everything. Nickel would have felt slighty offended at the way his teacher and classmates looked at him as if they wanted him to confess all of the "family secrets," but all he felt was shock. He knew his parents had been through hard times. He knew that they had killed and seen death, but it seemed like their horrible pasts just became worse and worse the more he learned.

Even at nine years old Nickel had the discretion to know that his parents wouldn't want to know what he was studying. He could picture their faces. They'd wonder what he thought about their horrible pasts. It was just better to stay quiet about the whole thing. Yet Nickel found it difficult to not bring it up when it seemed to be on his mind constantly.

On the day Mrs. Power finally began to teach about the final day of the war Nickel finally learned just what had happened to his Aunt Prim. He knew of her from passive mentions by his parents and from her pages in The Book, but his understanding of what had happened to her had been nonexsistent. Mrs. Power was obviously unaware of this fact and had no problem matter-of-factly telling the class that Primrose Everdeen had exploded in a bomb along with many other children and medical workers. She didn't use those words of course. Things had to be muted for the young children's ears, but Nickel had a feeling he was the only one really picturing it.

The picture didn't give him any emotional distress. He'd never known his aunt afterall, but it hurt him to think of what that must have done to his mother. Nickel couldn't imagine what it would be like if something like that happened to Dani. That's what made him go straight for his mother after school. Katniss seemed confused, but she accepted the hug nonetheless. Nickel remained sure of the fact that he was doing her a favor by not mentioning his history class, but he wanted to let her know he was sorry all the same.


	22. Fairy Tale

Dani was tired of listening to her friends gush about boys. She'd never admit that outloud though. Her quiet and slightly stand-offish nature meant Dani's group of friends was a small one. She loved her friends, and she didn't think alienating them over something they took so seriously was a good idea.

It wasn't that Dani never wanted to talk about boys. It was just that the latest boy drama was driving her a little insane. (Aldine liked Kamadev who had seemed to like her back until he asked Irawa out yesterday.) Dani had decided that, while boys were nice, she had less stressful ways to fill her time.

This had always been a huge difference between her and her friends. When they were little Aldine and Jasmeet had always wanted to play princess while Dani would have rather played an adventure-type game. She remembered spending the night with Jas years ago and having Jas' mom tell them a story about princesses. Dani's father, on the other hand, had always told her bedtime stories that involved girls going on grand adventures where it didn't matter if her clothes got dirty. Sometimes he threw a boy in as the girl's best friend or trusty sidekick, but if there was any romance, her dad would just say they got married _years_ later – she thought he was trying to give her a hint.

"Look at them," disgust was clearly recognizeable on Aldine's face and in her voice. She was glaring at Kamadev and Irawa from across the cafeteria. Dani imagined they must be acting disgustingly cute, but she couldn't be bothered to look. For her part, Jas seemed to be getting a little tired of Aldine's ranting as well, and all she offered was a quick, uninterested glance in the couple's direction before turning back to her food. Aldine didn't seem to notice her friends' lack of interest in her continuing drama as she gave the evil eye to the couple who, now that Dani had bothered looking, where hunched closely together and giggling in a sickly cute fashion.

"So..." Dani searched around for a topic she hoped would distract Aldine. She failed to attract anyone's attention though, and she couldn't think of anything to say regardless.

"Any plans for the weekend?" Jas asked, saving Dani.

"Not really," Dani replied. "Just the usual."

"Me too." Jas nodded. Then, her eyes lit up. "We should have a slumber party!"

"Great idea!" Dani thought that was the perfect way to get their friend's mind off of things. Dani and Jas turned to Aldine expectantly, but she had now turned dejectedly to her food. "Aldine," Dani snapped her fingers in front of Aldine's face.

Aldine blinked and looked at them blankly. "A party sounds fine." Well, at least she had been paying some attention.

"Great," Jas' voice sounded full of fake enthusiasm. "How about at my house? Can you guys get there around seven?"

Dani and Aldine both made slight sounds of agreement. None of them were particularly thrilled about their plans. Aldine was, no doubt, upset that her moping would be disrupted, and Dani imagined Jas was feeling the same as her: they weren't going to have any fun trying to cheer Aldine up all night. Still, it was their duty as best friends to at least attempt to make her forget things, and that was what they would do.

Later that night, things were going just as they had expected. Nothing Dani or Jas did seemed to have any effect on Aldine's greyish mood. When Jas decided to pull out the worn, bubble-gum pink book that Dani hadn't seen in years, Dani's stomach sank. That book had been a center or their playing for years. It was the princess book that Jas had gotten for her sixth birthday, and the three friends had poured over it for years. It was the inspiration behind all of their princess games in their younger years.

"Look what I found," Jas announced, more to get Aldine's attention than Dani's. "It's been years since this thing saw the light of day." She flipped through the pages that were practically free of the binding. "Remember how we used to love pretending to be princesses?" Jas let out a sudden gasp as she pulled out three sheets of paper that weren't meant to be a part of the book. Dani knew what they were instantly. "Our dream princes," Jas breathed.

Years and years ago, the three friends had written down what their "prince" would be like. They'd come up with everything from his looks, personality, and name. Dani even remembered coming up with pets, parents, and siblings for them. Jas shot a glance at Aldine to see if the reminder of their dream guys would cause her to shed more tears for the guy that was most definitey not her prince. Instead, a smile was finally making its way across Aldine's face.

"Let me see," she reached for the worn papers and smiled even wider as she read the messy scrawls they'd left on them. Their young hand writing was almost illegible from where Dani was sitting, but Aldine could apparently make some sense of it. "Remember how you wanted yours to own a pony, Dani?"

Dani blused. Her younger self had been a bit too...well, girly for her current self's tastes. "Yeah," she rolled her eyes at her past self. "Is there something there about yours being willing to wait on you hand and foot?" When they were younger, Aldine had always stressed that her prince would happily do anything she asked for.

"Yes," Aldine smirked. "There is." Jas and Dani were relieved but a bit confused that this was what it had took to return Aldine to her normal self. Apparently the cure for boys who were jerks was perfect dream boys.

They poured over the papers for another half an hour and laughed at what their younger selves had found important in boys. Time and experience had shown them that none of their "princes" really exsisted, but Dani felt as if Aldine and Jas were getting hope that there was at least someone decent for them out there. Maybe Dani was feeling that too. In fact, Dani was rethinking her whole outlook on fairy tales. They didn't exsist, but she'd forgotten how fun they were sometimes. The three friends found themselves reading the familiar but forgotten stories well into the night, lost in their perfect dream world.


	23. Magic

Dani had long ago decided that there was something magic about spring. It all started with her love for dandelions. She'd always enjoyed watching them pop out of the ground when the weather became warm, and she'd proudly proclaim that these little yellow flowers were her namesake. As she got older, Dani discovered the other magical things that happened during the season, from the other flowers coming up from the ground or the birds beginning to sing again. Yes, Dani had decided that spring was the most magical time of year.

This was the first spring where Dani found herself proficient enough at needlepoint to attempt to recreate the beauty she saw around her. She'd done so in the past with paintings and drawings, but she liked this way much better. Needlepoint couldn't quite relay the depth that a painting could, but Dani was proud of her current work just the same. Dani's needlepoint wasn't based on any particular scene as everything happened too quickly during the spring for her to capture it with the long process of needlepoint, yet she constantly found herself outdoors for inspiration and just pure admiration of the beauty.

Aldine didn't seem to quite understand it all, but she had admitted that it was "nice out" and was currently sitting underneath the shade of a tree in the backyard of the Mellark household. Dani was a lot more focused on her needlepoint than her friend, so Aldine had pulled out the notebook that was constantly on her person and began scribbling down the poetry she was notorious for. For every bit that Dani wanted to express herself with pictures, Aldine had the same desire to express herself through words.

The two girls were so absorbed in their own outlets that neither of them noticed Peeta exiting the house on the opposite side of the yard. "You two look hard at work." The two girls were startled to hear Peeta's words. Dani silently breathed a sigh of relief that she was working with a dull needle because otherwise she'd have been bleeding after her slight jump.

"Way to make yourself known, Dad," Dani grumbled in a tone that showed she wasn't really upset.

Peeta chuckled to himself. "Sorry about that. I didn't realize your minds were wandering that much. I guess I'm just used to your mom hearing me from a mile away." Dani smiled. She'd heard her mom remark about her father's unusually loud footsteps many times before.

"You do walk like an elephant," Dani joked.

"I'll take that as a complement since elephants can actually walk very quietly." Dani decided not to question how her dad knew such a random fact about an animal that she didn't think he'd ever actually seen before.

Dani then noticed her mom coming from the direction of the woods, and she realized why her dad had come outside and disturbed their peace and quiet. When she reached them, Katniss settled in next to Peeta where he had made himself comfortable on the porch steps. She set her bow and arrows gently down on the steps and leaned into Peeta. Dani smiled at her parents' contentment and turned to look back at Aldine, who'd been extremely quiet. Aldine's nose was still buried in her notebook, and Dani let out a small chuckle at the sight. Aldine could sink deep into writing and forget the world sometimes. Dani happily turned back to her needlepoint as she sat in comfortable silence with her friend and parents.

It was just a small moment in her life, nothing more than a sunny spring day, but Dani made sure to file it away in her memories carefully. The way her friend sat contently next to her; the way her parents looked so content sitting next to each other; the way the birds chirped in the sky; the way the squirrels scurrying across the grass; the way the wind blew the newly bloomed flowers and trees; and the way her needle felt as it recreated the nature around her. It all added up to one magical moment that Dani wanted to keep forever.


	24. Mirror

Putting on makeup was harder than it looks. That was the one thing Dandelion Mellark had discovered that day. She'd been embarassed enough when she'd quietly asked her mother if she could have the makeup in the first place. Walking around looking like a clown would make it even worse.

Dani reached dejectedly for the washcloth and scrubbed her face for the third time in an effort to remove the makeup that just didn't look right on her face. She turned from the mirror, no longer wanting to look at her own reflection, and pulled herself up onto the counter. It wasn't as if she could ask her mother for advice. Dani didn't think Katniss had put on one bit of makeup since she was seventeen years old, and even then she hadn't been putting it on herself.

Dani's heart went into her throat as a knock at the bathroom door startled her. "Dani, are you in here?" Rowan Hawthorne. Dani had forgotten that they were getting here today. Here was the answer to her problems. Rowan, who was two years older, had always seemed like Dani's older sister.

Dani flew off the counter and wrenched the door open. "Rowan!"

Her younger friend's enthusiasm caused Rowan to take a step away from the doorway. "Happy to see you too, Dani," she chuckled. "What have you been doing for so long in the bathroom? I was waiting for you downstairs."

Dani's face brightened in embarassment. Instead of answering, she motioned towards the bathroom counter, which was still littered with various beauty products. That was when Rowan noticed the makeup on Dani's face that Dani hadn't been quite successful in removing in her anger. A small smile found its way onto Rowan's face. All she said was, "You want help?"

Dani smiled back gratefully. "Yes, please."

Rowan wasn't an overtly kind person, but she often found herself helping Dani more often than she would others. Sure, she was nice, but she didn't do many favors. For that reason, she couldn't help but make a few jibes as she went over the basics of makeup with the younger girl. "You look great by the way," she motioned at Dani's own attempt at the makeup. "You'd make a very believable clown."

Dani stuck her tongue out. "Even I know it's not_ that _horrible," she sighed.

"Close though," Rowan muttered just loud enough for Dani, who swatted her playfully, to hear.

"You have the right idea," Rowan explained as she closed the door behind her. "You just need some practice, so you don't end up looking like a crazy Capitol person."

Dani's confidence swelled. She'd been sure that she was screwing something up. No way did she want to look like a Capitol citizen. Her mother would fly off the handle. Dani knew that Capitol fashions had become much simpler in recent years thanks to the influence of the districts, but the people there were still known for slightly outlandish tastes. If she was to go to school looking like one, she'd be teased endlessly.

Rowan had Dani remove the makeup she'd applied before pulling out the foundation that Dani wasn't even sure exactly matched her skin tone. Rowan looked from the foundation to Dani as if she was considering this very thing herself, but her nod seemed to imply that she was satisfied with the shade. "We might be able to find a better shade for you, but this works okay for now," Rowan explained. "Next time you should try to find one that brings out the slight olive tint to your skin." Dani nodded although she wasn't so sure about the "olive tint." Sure her skin wasn't as light as her dad's or other people she knew, but Dani had always been slightly jealous of the olive skin her mother, Rowan, and most of her classmates had.

Rowan had applied a layer of makeup to Dani's face that was far thinner than she had thought possible. All the while, Rowan was explaining that the less makeup Dani could get away with, the better. She wanted to look as natural as possible. Makeup was supposed to enhance your natural beauty, not hide it. Rowan's many philosophical makeup comments continued throughout the entire process. Dani had never thought about many of these things, and she soaked up the new information. She'd have to remember to put on a lot less makeup next time. The eyeliner would take some practice. How Rowan could hold her arm so steady and see clearly with the pencil to her eye Dani didn't understand.

"There," Rowan began clearing the makeup off the counter, seemingly satisfied with her job. "Look in the mirror."

Dani turned and almost blushed at the reflection in the mirror. If Dani didn't no better, she would almost be surprised that she had makeup on. Rowan had made it perfectly complement her features. "Thanks, Rowan!" Dani exclaimed in excitement.

"You're welcome," Rowan chuckled. "Come on. Let's go into town, and you can show off my awesome makeup skills to everyone." Before Dani knew it, her arm was hooked in Rowan's, and they were out the door and heading toward town.


	25. Broken Pieces

Dani stared out the window at the murky clouds hiding the sky. It was a dreary spring day, and there had been nothing but clouds and rain all day. A rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance, although Dani hadn't noticed a flash of lightning, not surprising considering how much her mind had been drifting. Dani couldn't spot one living thing that wasn't rooted to the ground. That was one thing Dani found fascinating about nature: how every single animal seemed to know exactly when they should seek shelter from a coming storm. If only humans would pay that much attention to what was happening around them. Those weather people, who were wrong as often as right, wouldn't be needed.

Of course, there was a lack of humans outside as well. A small group of kids could usually be counted on to be running around at any given point in the day, but today they had apparently taken their playing indoors. This included Dani's brother, who had brought his best friend Colby over several hours ago. They were currently doing something in Nickel's room while being suspiciously quiet. Her parents had made themselves comfortable in the house today. Dani knew that her father was in the next room. He'd decided that cookies were just what they needed to cheer them up on this gloomy day. Katniss had followed him into the kitchen. Dani could usually expect to find her mother close to her father's side if she wasn't in the woods.

Dani hadn't even realized that it was odd for her parents to be almost attached at the hip so much until Jas pointed it out to her. They'd only been seven at the time, and Jas had asked innocently why her parents never seemed to leave each other. After asking what her friend meant, Jas had told Dani that her own parents were often going places without the other, and Jas saw them together maybe a couple of hours a day. After hearing this, Dani had closely watched all of the other adult couples she knew, and she had discovered that her parents' seeming inability to function after long periods apart wasn't exactly normal. Of course, she'd learned more about the truth behind this, but she'd found it incredibly fascinating as a young child. She'd been convinced it was proof that her parents loved each other more than any other couple on the planet. Dani still believed this, even if it was naive of her. There was no way any other couple could beat her parents.

This thought made her move towards the kitchen. Dani was careful to quietly poke her head around the corner. Hopefully she would be able to observe her parents without them realizing she was there. She liked to catch them having little moments together sometimes. It made her daydream about having that same relationship with someone of her own some day, although she wasn't sure she could ever love someone as much as her parents loved each other.

Her parents were by the counter on the opposite side of the kitchen from the door Dani was peaking around. All they were doing was standing side by side as they worked on making some type of baked good. They were standing as close to each other as they could be without touching. Even with the lack of contact, Dani could tell how much the other's presence relaxed them from the look on their faces. Peeta had a small smile that Dani was used to seeing on his face whenever he was around anyone in the family. Her mom, as usual, had a straight face, but Dani had become very good at reading the expressions on her mom's face that others often believed to be all the same. Dani was one of the few people who would be able to tell you that her mother's face was as relaxed as it could possibly be at the moment. It was an expression that most people never got to see on Katniss.

It became more and more obvious to her the older that she got that her parents weren't exactly "fine" the way most people were. They were fine in the only way people who had been through what they had could be fine, but it most definitely wasn't the fine that Dani herself felt. There was constantly a part of her parents that most wasn't fine and never would be. Yet her parents seemed to be at their best and happiest when they were together. Dani was sure her and her brother had a similar effect on them, but Dani loved watching her parents together. They couldn't make each other whole again. That was impossible. But together they were able to tape the pieces back together as good as was possible. Dani noticed Peeta stealing a quick kiss before sticking a pan into the oven. Yes, Dani couldn't think of any couple more perfect than her parents.


	26. Starvation

What would it be like to starve? That wasn't a question most nine-year-olds pondered over, but this wasn't the first time Nickel had thought about this question. Occassionally they'd be eating dinner and his dad would make an off-hand remark about his childhood and the previous lack of food in District 12. His mother would immediately scold him for the remark, and Peeta wouldn't say anything more about it. By that time though, the words had already made their mark in Nickel's mind.

His teachers had said things about District 12 being a poor district before the rebellion, but a lack of food was something that was never discussed. If it had been, Nickel would have known. He always paid specially close attention in history class. Nickel had always secretly wondered what it would be like to go without food. He couldn't imagine not eating three full meals a day and maybe a snack or two. It was another thing he added to the ever growing list of horrible things he couldn't believe his parents had gone through.

One day Nickel decided to go a day without food. Not because he wanted to go without it, but because he wanted to see what it had been like for his parents. Nickel had always had an insatiable curiosity, and he always wanted to not only learn things but experience them if at all possible. He didn't plan to go without food forever. He wasn't going to actually starve himself. He just wanted to go one day to see if he could kind of understand his parents' situation. Needless to say, he didn't last the whole day.

The first problem Nickel encountered was his parents. He guessed their own years of limited food had led them to be much more adamant that their children recieve the correct amount of nourishment. That meant eating enough to be full, but not enough that they'd want to take that puking drink his parents had mentioned in disgust a few times. Nickel wasn't at the table for more than a few minutes that morning before his mom asked him why he wasn't eating. Her concerned look made it apparent that Nickel wasn't going to get away from the table without eating a decent breakfast.

Unable to come up with a way to avoid eating under his parents' watchful eyes, Nickel began to pick at his breakfast disinterestedly. He was swirling around some scrambled eggs and taking the occassional bite when he heard his father speak, "Nickel? What's wrong?"

Looking up for the first time in ten minutes, Nickel realized that not only his parents but also his sister were watching him. While his parents' faces both held looks of concern, Dani just look slightly interested in the events unfolding.

"I'm just not very hungry," Nickel stared down at his eggs to try and hide the lie. Peeta and Katniss seemed to see right through this, and Nickel could hear them sitting their silverware down as if preparing for a long conversation. Dani took a bite of sausage as she watched the others intently, careful not to miss anything.

"Really?" Katniss asked in a disbelieving voice. "You haven't eaten in the twelve or so hours since dinner, but you're not hungry?"

"Nope."

"Are you sick?" Katniss sounded as if she already knew the answer.

"Nope."

"Then what could be the cause of you lack of appetite?" This time she didn't yet know the answer to the question.

Nickel was quiet for a moment as he thought about what to say. His family was watching him intently, and his unfortunate inability to lie wasn't helping matters. "I just don't feel like eating," was the lie he finally chose. He just prayed the growling his stomach was doing wasn't audible to the entire room.

"Nickel," his mom started in a voice that told him he was going to be revealing the truth rather soon.

"I just don't want to eat," he quickly defended himself. It was his last ditch effort to get away with not telling the whole truth.

His father was studying him closely. "There's more to it than that. People don't just decide they don't want to eat. Not when their stomachs are growling loud enough for the whole room to hear."

So they had heard that. This wasn't working out the way Nickel had hoped. "I just wanted to see what it was like." Although it came out as a mumble, his parents seemed to have heard him. Katniss' face showed confusion, as if she didn't understand what he meant, but Peeta seemed to understand immediately.

His father leaned over and placed a hand on his shoulder before speaking. "Nickel, starvation isn't something a nine-year-old should experience, and skipping one meal won't really help you understand anyway. You'd have to skip a whole lot of meals all in a row or eat very little, and there's no way your mother and I are letting you do that. It's not healthy, and you shouldn't even think about attempting it. A lot of people went through some pretty horrible stuff so that you don't have to worry about starving, and you should finish your breakfast to show them that you're thankful for it." When Nickel chanced a look at his mother, he noticed that a look of horror had taken up residence on her face now that she knew what was happening. This was the very reason Nickel had wanted to avoid explaining himself. Without even saying a word, Nickel looked down at his plate and took a giant bite of his now cold scrambled eggs. He didn't even look up as he continued shoveling food into his mouth at a break neck speed.

Katniss seemed content to drop the issue now that Nickel was eating. He could see her turn back to her food out of the corner of his eye. Dani had also lost interest in what was happening, but Nickel could clearly feel that his father's eyes were still on him as he ate his meal. This caused the young boy to continue staring at his food even when most of it was gone from his plate and his stomach had finally been satiated.

Dani excused herself soon after finishing and left to go into town with her friends. Nickel had hoped for a similar escape, but he lost hope when Peeta spoke. "Nickel, I think we should talk more about this."

For the first time since he began eating, Nickel cautiously looked up at his father. It wasn't that he was scared they'd be mad. Rather, he was scared of their disappointment or sadness. Nickel didn't even know how to explain himself to them. He'd just been curious, but something told him his parents wouldn't understand that. They just seemed slightly horrified. You'd almost think Nickel had tried to starve himself to the point of death. All he'd wanted to know was how if felt to not eat _one_ meal.

"Nickel," his father began. "You don't want to know what it's like to go without food. One meal wouldn't matter much, but you'd have to go without for much longer than that to really understand. And you shouldn't have to understand."

"This is way too much for a nine-year-old," his mother finally spoke. Nickel wasn't sure if her words were about his attempt at not eating or his father's speech. She wasn't looking at either of them. Instead, her eyes were firmly on the table in front of her, and the deep frown she wore made Nickel feel even worse. He almost wished he had more food in front of him. Maybe he could fit a little more into his stomach.

"Katniss," Nickel's father moved around the table to be closer to his mother. "It's fine. Nickel's fine. He was just curious, like always."

"He shouldn't be curious about this," she whispered. Nickel shrunk back in his seat. He felt trapped and wanted nothing more than to escape. Katniss looked close to tears, and Nickel felt his own stinging his eyes.

"Mom," Nickel whispered before slowly getting out of his seat and approaching her. "I'm sorry," he mumbled quietly into her shoulder. Katniss gripped him tightly, and both mother and son stayed wrapped in each other's arms for several minutes.

"It's okay," Katniss whispered in his hair. "Just never try something like that again."

"I won't. Promise." And it was the truth. Nickel was determined not to do something that had proved to cause his parents so much pain.


	27. Words

"Why would I like someone as ugly as her?"

It had been hours, and the words were still ringing in Dani's ears. Never before had she heard someone say something so awful. She felt slightly guilty for feeling relieved that it hadn't been about herself, but a cripling feeling of anxiety had gripped her as she debated whether or not to tell Jasmeet what she had heard.

If their positions were switched, she would want Jasmeet to tell her. Right? She wasn't sure, and that was the problem. Dani had almost went to Aldine for help before deciding that spreading it around wouldn't help things. It wasn't as if Dani could just forget it had happened. Jas had been crushing on this guy for the better part of a year, and Dani knew it was her recent flirting that had prompted him to make the comment to his friends. Dani had the misfortune to be digging through her locker, which was only five down from the one the jerk and his friends had gathered around. They probably hadn't even noticed her presence, and if they had, she doubted they had remembered she was one of Jas' closest friends. Now she was in this horrible position.

She knew she was going to tell Jas. There was no choice really. Dani just wished there was a way to avoid it. Maybe getting Aldine's help wouldn't be so bad after all.

Dani let out a groan and buried her face in the pillow. She was reluctant to get up and do what she knew had to be done. There was no way she could let Jas crush on someone so horrible any longer. What if he tricked her? Dani had seen another boy do something similar to one of the nicest girls in her grade. Yes, Dani had to tell her soon. It was that resolve that forced her off her bed for the first time since arriving home after school.

The fact that Jasmeet lived all the way in town didn't help Dani's determination. As she was making what felt like a much longer walk than normal from the Old Victor's Village to town, she began to doubt herself yet again. Although her footsteps got slower as she ambled along, Dani finally found herself on Jas' front step. Somehow her friend was able to hear her light knock on the door, and Dani soon found herself face-to-face with Jas.

"Hey!" Jas greeted her happily, not at all aware of Dani's inner turmoil.

"Hey," Dani's greating wasn't quite as exuberant. Ugh, why did her friends always seem to have boy troubles?

Jas quickly ushered Dani to her room, and Dani was faced with no other option but to tell her friend why she had come. Usually Jas wouldn't be the least bit suspicious, as Dani often dropped by unexpectedly, but Dani knew her discomfort was clear thanks to the questioning looks Jas kept throwing in her direction.

Jas curled her legs under her on the bed and looked at Dani expectantly, silently waiting for her to speak on her own.

"I overheard something while at my locker today," Dani finally spoke in a shaky voice. "Roland was talking to his friends. About you." It became harder and harder for Dani to go on, especially once she glanced up to see Jas' worried face.

"And?" Jas whispered after Dani had been silent for quite a while.

Dani turned towards the window and visibly cringed as she spoke the words. "They were laughing about your feelings for him. He was saying stuff about how you looked so stupid when you tried to talk to him and how he would never date you." It was getting harder and harder for Dani to go on as Jas began to cry. Dani felt tears in her own eyes and stopped speaking. Jas had heard enough.

Instead of speaking, Dani sat down on the bed next to her best friend and wrapped an arm around her. Jas rested her head on Dani's shoulder, making Dani hopeful that she'd offered at least some semblance of comfort. Still, nothing Dani could do would be powerful enough to make the tears stop.

Dani knew Jas felt miserable now. A couple days from now she would still feel horrible whenever thoughts about Roland entered her head. Then, the hurt would fade. The thought of the words might always bring a little twinge of sadness and maybe a bit of self-doubt, but Jas would move past it. The effect of Roland's words might always leave a small mark on Jas, but she could move past it. It was just take some time.


	28. Can You Hear Me?

Best friends could only do so much. Usually, Nickel could rely on Colby for just about everything, but sometimes Colby wasn't around, like now when Colby's parents had decided that this week would be perfect for a vacation to the Capitol. Nickel had plenty of other friends. He'd always been on the quiet side, but his friendly nature allowed him to make friends easily in spite of that. (As opposed to Dani who was outgoing, yet had only a small group of close friends because she didn't interact with other people that well. She just wasn't good at first impressions.)

Yet Nickel had recently discovered that none of his other friends were quite the same as Colby. He couldn't tell his other friends everything that Colby knew, and none of his friends seemed interested in playing the game Nickel and Colby had made up years ago and played constantly. Instead, Nickel had been forced to play whatever game his other friends decided to play, which was never quite as fun. Nickel had decided that he was never taking Colby's friendship for granted again. His other friends just weren't the same.

"I can't believe there's still a week until you come back," Nickel whined into the phone. The two friends had been calling each other every night. Nickel kept Colby up to date on what was happening at home (which was nothing), and Colby told Nickel all about his vacation so far (which basically consisted of an annoying older brother and little sister ruining the whole thing).

"Neither can I," sympathized Colby. "Ailen started crying earlier today because she lost her doll somewhere on the streets. My parents spent ages trying to explain that it's much harder to find lost things here in the Capitol than it is back home in District 12. She's never going to see that doll again, and she's not going to shut up about it for the rest of the trip."

"Can't your parents calm her down by offering her a brand new doll from the Capitol?"

"They tried. She claims it's not the same, since she had the other one since she was born. It makes sense, but I wish she'd mourned in silence."

Nickel silently thanked whoever was responsible for him getting an older sister instead of a younger one.

"I'm sure she'll calm down eventually," Nickel tried to sound optimistic.

Colby sighed into the phone. "I doubt it. You know Ailen. It takes her days to let go of things."

The conversation continued for over an hour. Half an hour in, their talk began deteriorating into idle pratter about the most random of things. Their words almost seemed to lose any meaning, but neither one seemed eager to hang up the phone, knowing there was nothing but boredom or annoyance waiting for them. It wasn't until Dani made a comment about only girls carrying on such long, pointless conversations that Nickel decided it was probably time to hang up.

It wasn't more than twenty seconds after he set the phone down that he began wondering what to do. How had he ocuppied his alone time before? It wasn't like he spent every waking moment with Colby when he was here. Nickel had ways to keep himself busy, but in his loneliness he could think of none of them.


	29. Heal

Nickel's face scrunched up at the horrid smell. No matter how many times he entered Haymitch's house it always managed to catch him off guard. It was as if the smell of alcohol had permeated every single area of the house, even the smallest of crevices. It was a smell that Nickel _hoped_ he was never used to.

The boy had been sent over to check on Haymitch as it had been a few days since he'd last been seen. When Nickel was younger, he'd have never been allowed into the house alone unless his parents knew Haymitch was awake. If he'd stumbled upon an asleep Haymitch and accidently awoke him things could have been bad. A few years ago though, Haymitch had finally begun to sleep without his usual knife. Something that his parents had seemed overjoyed to discover. Now that his awakenings were less violent, Nickel and Dani were often sent to do the deed. Nickel thought it had something to do with Haymitch being easier on them than he was their parents. He really did have a soft spot for them, even if he wouldn't admit it.

"Haymitch," Nickel called into the house that was as eerily quiet as usual. As he'd expected, there was no answer, and Nickel was left to wander through the house to search for its sole occupant. Without bothering to look into the TV room that had sat empty since before Nickel's birth, the boy went straight for the kitchen: the room with the alcohol and Haymitch's favorite room by default.

Sure enough, the aged man was slumpt over in his usual seat, but in an odd change to routine, the drunken man was awake. Nickel was about to ask why Haymitch hadn't answered him earlier, when the boy really took in the scene before him. Although Haymitch had appeared to be awake at first glance, Nickel began to wonder if the man had learned how to sleep with his eyes open. Either that or Haymitch was lost in his own head because no one found a bottle of alcohol that interesting, not even a drunk.

It was with great trepidation that Nickel made his way towards Haymitch's kitchen table. He was just a few steps away when Haymitch's eyes suddenly found him. Startled, Nickel jumped back quickly before regaining his composure and sitting in the seat opposite Haymitch who now seemed as focused on Nickel as he had been on the bottle just a moment ago.

Nickel sat in discomfort while Haymitch studied him for what felt like hours. Finally, the old man began to speak. "You ever wonder why I drink so much, boy?"

In all honesty, Nickel had wondered about it once or twice, but he couldn't say it was something that had occupied more than a minute or two of his thoughts at any given time. Haymitch just drank. Nickel had never thought of it as weird seeing as it was the only way he'd ever known the man. Before Nickel could answer, Haymitch continued, "Alcohol is a powerful thing. I used to tell myself I was better than the morphlings, but I don't really believe that anymore." Nickel never got a chance to ask what Haymitch meant by "morphlings." "You're the first person I've ever said this to, but I'm a weak person, boy. Sure, I've done a lot of brave things, but I'm weak. It's to be expected of course. I'm human, even if I've done some very inhumane things. We're all weak, and I didn't have someone to rely on like your parents did. I suppose I'm lucky I didn't kill myself."

Nickel was beginning to get a little freaked out. He had no idea where this was coming from or what Haymitch even meant. None of it made sense to the young boy. Maybe the alcohol had made Haymitch entirely crazy.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this," Haymitch finally began to answer one of Nickel's unspoken questions. "You're too young for this, yet I think that's why I chose to unload it on to you. Not fair really. Not even ethical. But since when have I been fair and ethical? There's a reason I'm a victor."

Haymitch's words meant next-to-nothing to the young boy, as Nickel sat in rapt attention. He tried to decipher every sentence, but his limited knowledge wasn't allowing him to figure much out. Nickel was still trying to figure out what "ethical" meant as Haymitch suddenly fell silent again.

Haymitch's thoughts seemed to be continuing down the same path that he had just been voicing outloud to Nickel. Nickel wondered if he should run for one of his parents. They'd understand what Haymitch was ranting about, and they'd probably have a better chance at making him feel better. His parents always made everything better.

Nickel had barely made it out of his seat when Haymitch stopped him with a grumble. "Where are you going, boy?" Nickel looked sheepishly at Haymitch, unsure of how to respond.

"To get my parents," he murmered quietly.

"Boy, your parents can't help me." Nickel thought he detected a bit of humor in Haymitch's eyes.

Nickel was a little shook up at the words. The young boy silently sat back down in his seat, unsure of what to do now or how to act in Haymitch's presence.

"There are some things that just can't be fixed," Haymitch muttered so softly that Nickel was sure he hadn't been meant to hear it.

The boy was becoming even more uncomfortable as the silence continued. Nickel had no idea what he should do or if he should do anything at all. Time passed, and Nickel began considering just leaving and letting Haymitch deal with everything on his own. Nickel had begun pushing back his chair when he thought better of it. Glancing up, Nickel watched Haymitch as he took another swig of alcohol. The drunk was now looking towards the window placed over the sink.

Nickel stayed and sat with Haymitch in silence for quite a while, but it wasn't until years later that he fully understood what Haymitch had meant. Some wounds were harder to heal than others, and people used different methods to heal, some of which worked better than others. Haymitch could drink all the alcohol in the world, but he'd never be healed. Haymitch would never heal. He'd suffer through the rest of his life pretending to be healed by masking his problems with alcohol, but the wounds would still be there underneath it all. After knowing Haymitch his whole life, Nickel only fully grasped just how sad Haymitch's life was many years later.


	30. Pain

Dani had never in her life felt pain like this before. She now understood the full meaning of excrutiating. If she died from the pain, it wouldn't even surprise her. How could she possibly go on when it hurt this much? She didn't think it was possible. Nothing could provide her comfort.

Aldine was gone forever, and nothing could be done to change that. Dani had never believed things like this happened. People didn't die when they were twelve. It just didn't happen. Only the elderly die.

Dani's father had sat down to tell her two hours ago that Aldine had died last night after being in a car crash with her family. Everyone else had made it out alive with minor injuries. Cars had been a relatively new concept in District 12, and only a limited number of them could be found on the streets. This tragedy had shocked the entire district.

Dani made the mistake of glancing at her mother as Peeta told her the story as calmly as he could. Katniss looked as if every nightmare she'd had about the future had suddenly come true. Dani had it worse. This wasn't her nightmare. This was something so horrible that Dani hadn't even dreamt it possible. The young girl was entirely unprepared for the disaster and had no idea how to handle it. In her twelve years, Dani had never directly experienced death other than watching her mother while hunting, and even that had rattled Dani so much that she'd declined ever going again.

Now, all of her views on death were changing. It was a reality now, and Dani was being asked to accept the fact that she'd never see one of her best friends again except as a still corpse in a casket before it was closed and buried deep into the ground.

The idea was almost too much for the girl to take as she holed herself up in her room and cried never-ending tears. Dani hadn't known it was possible to produce this many tears this quickly. Just one of the many things she was discovering today.

She felt the matress dip beside her but couldn't be bothered to glance up at the person who had invaded her privacy. Dani deduced that it was her father when he pulled her hair back and pulled her closer to himself. She sunk into his embrace, but not even her father could make her feel better at that particular moment.

He must have held her for hours before Dani ran out of tears. It was only then that she stopped to realize that he hadn't bothered to move for that long because he was more worried about her. For the first time, Dani lifted her head from the pillow, hoping not to burst into tears at the sight of her father. She was surprised to find not only her father looking down at her but her mother as well. Katniss had settled in a chair by Dani's bedside, and Dani didn't think she had seen her this worried since Nickel's injury in the woods.

No one wanted to break the silence. Katniss and Peeta were probably worried that anything they said would set of Dani's tears again, but Dani didn't think that was possible. Her eyes stung more than she thought was possible. They'd be raw for weeks.

Dani burried her face in her father's shoulder as her mother moved towards the bed and began to hold her too. Her crying had subsided, but her emotions were just as strong as ever. The young girl had a feeling there would always be a part of her that ached at the thought of Aldine.

**A/N: And that's the end of Life Lessons! I'm sorry for ending it on such a sad one, but I guess the fact that death is a part of life is always the hardest lesson to learn, isn't it? Thank you to everyone who read Life Lessons. It means a lot, and an extra special thank you to everyone who reviewed it. I read all of the reviews, and I really appreciate all of them.**

**I'm currently writing a second Hunger Games fanfiction that will cover themes 31-50 of the Hunger Games 100 Theme Challenge. It's entirely different though and will be about the 4th Hunger Games. I hope you all check it out as well when it's up. I'm about halfway through writing it at the moment. Hopefully it'll be up sometime this summer.**

**Again, thank you to all of you who read the entire story! I appreciate it.**


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